Dispenser



April 1934- G. H. PACKWOOD, JR 1,956,535

DISPENSER Filed March 15, 1933 24/5 IQTTORNiKs ?atented Apr. 24, 1934 NITED STATES DISPENSER George H. Packwood, Jr., St. Louis, Mo., assignor to G. H. Packwood Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application March 15,

8 Claims.

My invention relates to dispensers for finely divided materials, such as powdered soap. It has for its principal object to provide a device that dispenses material in a finely divided condition even though the material has become agglomerated. Another object is to provide a dispenser which can be locked so that the contents thereof can only be removed by the normal dispensing operation. A further object is to provide a dispenser that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and operate.

The invention consists principally in a dispenser provided with a centrally disposed rotatable element that has a dispenser disc fixed thereto for receiving material from the lower end of the dispenser and that has a crusher member which cooperates with a plough member interposed between the disc and the crusher memher to crush the material. The invention further consists in the dispenser, and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and wherein reference numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a dispenser embodying my invention, with a portion of the dispenser cover broken away,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View on the line 22 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 55 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of the central portion of the dispenser,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side view of the top 40 portion of the dispenser showing the manner of attaching and locking the dispenser cover thereon, and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the line S8 in Fig. 7, with the key for unlocking the dispenser cover shown in dotted lines.

The dispenser comprises a hollow body 1 that is provided with a cover 2 that has bayonet slots 3 thatreceive pins 4 secured to the body. The lower portion 5 of the body tapers downwardly and terminates in a short cylindrical mouth portion 6.

Secured to said body 1 is a clamp bracket 7 having curved side portions 8 and flat portions 9 on either side thereof that are perforated to receive screws 10 for attaching the dispenser to 1933, Serial No. 660,806

a wall 11. If desired, the dispenser may be attached to a pipe as the curved portions 8 of the bracket are adapted to accommodate a pipe so that the dispenser may be readily afiixed thereto by using clamping plates, or the like, for cooperating with the bracket 7.

Mounted in the upper portion of the body 1 is a diametrical cross member 12 having U-shaped end portions 13 connected by an intermediate horizontal portion 14, the outer legs 15 of the U- shaped end portions engaging the walls of said body 1 and having their upper ends attached thereto as by said pins 4. Mounted across the body 1 directly above said cross member 12 is a horizontal cross brace 16 having downwardly extending end portions 17 which are secured to the outer legs 15 of the U-shaped end portions of said cross member 12 as by rivets 18. A horizontal cross brace 19 is mounted in the body directly below said cross member 12 and is secured to the horizontal bottom portions of the U-shaped end portions thereof as by rivets 20.

Disposed at the center of the body 1 is a vertically disposed shaft 21 of square cross-section which extends through openings in the centers of said cross member 12 and said lower cross brace 19, respectively, which openings are of sufficient size to allow said shaft to rotate. This shaft 21 has a reduced cylindrical upper end portion which extends through a cylindrical opening in the upper cross brace and has a threaded portion above the cross brace for receiving nuts 22, with Washers 23 interposed between said nuts and the top of said upper cross brace. Fixed on said central shaft between said upper cross brace and said cross member is a sheet metal ring gear 24 which meshes with a smaller ring gear 25 fixed on a horizontal shaft 26 extending through the vertical legs of the U-shaped end portion at one end of said cross member 12. tends through the wall of the body 1 and has a rank handle 27 fixed thereon.

Mounted in the lower portion of the body 1V is an inverted conical false bottom member 28 that has a central opening 29 through which passes the lower end portion of said central shaft 21. Fixed on said shaft 21 for rotation therewith and disposed slightly below the opening through the false bottom member 28 is a flat, cup-like dispenser disc 30; and mounted above this disc on said shaft 21 for rotation therewith is a combined agitator and crusher member 31. This member comprises an arm portion 32 extending from one side of said shaft and having an upwardly inclined end portion 33 for sweeping around Said shaft 26 exu and scraping the conical surface portion of the false bottom member. Said member 31 also has an arm portion 34 extendin from the opposite side of said shaft 21 and having a corner portion 35 bent downwardly below the opening through. the false bottom member. Interposed between said combined agitator and crusher member 31 is an arm 36 extending radially from said central shaft 21 and mounted loosely thereon. This arm, called a plough member, is shaped so as to conform to the shape of the upper surface of said dispenser disc; and the crusher member 31 has a collar 37 provided on its bottom around said shaft 21 for keeping said member 31 a suitable distance above said plough member.

The false bottom member 28 has two ears 2911 depending from its bottom at opposite sides of the central opening 29 therethrough. These ears almost reach the top of the dispenser disc and serve as stops for preventing rotation of the plough member. Mounted on the central shaft 21 for rotation therewith below the dispensed disc is an inverted, concave bafile cup 38, and interposed between said bafiie cup and the bottom of the dis penser disc is an agitator arm 39. This arm 39 has an upwardly inclined end portion 40 for sweeping around and scraping the conical lower surface portion of the body 1 adjacent to the outer periphery of the dispenser disc. The other end of said agitator arm 39 has a downwardly curved end portion 41 which is bent inwardly at its lower end for sweeping around and scrap ing the conical surface portion of the body 1 adjacent to the outer periphery of the bafile cup. The central shaft 21 has a reduced threaded lower end portion below the baffie cup, and nuts 42 are assembled on this threaded portion for holding the combined agitator and crusher member 31, the dispenser disc 30, the plough member 36, the agitator arm 39, and the baffle cup 38 on the shaft 21. All of these members, except the plough member, have square shaft openings so that they will rotate with the shaft. The plough member has a cylindrical shaft opening of sufficient size so that it will not rotate with the shaft when it engages one of the stop ears 29a; and a cotter pin 43 is provided on said shaft above the combined agitator and crusher member 31 to hold them in position on the shaft.

Mounted in the top of the body 1 is an arcuate leaf spring 44. This .pring is secured at one end thereof to said body as by rivets 45 and 7 its other end extends toward one of the bayonet pins 4. The free end of said spring has a finger 46 extend ng therefrom which extends through a slot 4'7 in the wall of the body 1 and into a chambered recessed portion 48 in the side flange of the dispenser cover 2. The side flange of the cover also has a slot 49 in its edge adjacent to one end of said recessed portion 48; the wall of the body 1 has a hole 50 therein in line with this slot 49. By this arrangement, when the cover is placed on the dispenser body and rotated until the pins 4 fit into the horizontal portions of the bayonet slots 3, the finger 46 on the leaf spring snaps into the chambered portion 48 of the cover flange so that the cover cannot be rotated in either direction and is thus locked on the dispenser body. In order to unlock the cover, a special key 51 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8) is used. This key has a comparatively short, straight end portion 52 which is offset from its stem portion 53. In unlocking the cover, the end portion 52 of the key is inserted in the slot 49 in the side flange of the cover and slipped through the slot 50 in the wall of the dispenser body to engage and move the free end of the leaf spring 44 inwardly which causes the latching finger 46 extending therefrom to move out of the recessed portion 48 of the cover flange so that the cover may be rotated from its locked position; and the chambered portion 48 of the cover flange is made large enough to accommodate the end portion of the key which is offset from its stem portion to allow rotation of the cover. In this connection, it is to be noted that a straight key or pin could not be used to unlock the cover as the cover could not be rotated from its locked position since the edge of the slot 49 in the cover flange would engage a straight pin, or the like, to prevent rotation of the cover from its locked position.

In order to dispense soap or other material, the crank handle 27 is operated which causes the agitator arm portion of the combined agitator and crusher member 31 to sweep around the surface of the false bottom member 28 to agitate the material and to feed it toward the opening 29 of the false bottom member. The downwardly bent portion of the member 31 then picks up such material and forces it downwardly onto the dispenser disc which carries it around until it strikes the plough arm 36 which is held against rotation upon engaging one of the ears 29a. The material upon striking the plough arm is forced thereby over the edge of the dispenser disc; in case the material should contain lumps, the downwardly bent portion of the member 31 will cooperate with the plough arm as it passes thereover to crush such lumps between them so that all material forced over the edge of the dispenser disc is completely pulverized. The material forced over the edge of the disc then falls out of the opening at the bottom of the dispenser body around the baffle cup. Any material which may adhere to the conical lower surface portion below the false bottom member is scraped therefrom by the agitator arm 39.

The amount of material dispensed by the dispenser may be regulated by adjusting the nuts at the top of the central shaft. Obviously, the amount of material dispensed depends upon the distance that the dispenser disc is spaced from the false bottom member; and such spacing may be readily varied by tightening or loosening the nuts at the upper end of the dispenser which raises or lowers the central shaft carrying the dispenser disc topchange such pacing.

It often happens that soap dispensers are placed in shower rooms and other places where they are likely to have water splashed on them, so that the material is liable to become wet. My dispenser readily lends itself for use in such places as it is capable of dispensing material in a finely divided condition even though such material may become wet to such an extent that it becomes agglomerated. Obviously, numerous changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A dispenser including a hollow body having a bottom member with an opening therein, a shaft rotatably mounted insaid body and extending through the opening in the bottom member, a dispenser disc fixed on said shaft below said bottom member, and a member fixed on said shaft above said bottom member, said member having an. outwardly extending arm for sweeping around lei the bottom surface of the bottom member and having another arm with a portion thereof extending through the opening in the bottom member for forcing material onto said dispenser disc when said shaft is rotated.

2. A dispenser including a hollow body having a bottom member with an opening therein, a shaft rotatably mounted in said body and extending through the opening in the bottom member, a dispenser disc mounted on said shaft below said bottom member, a crusher member mounted on said shaft above said dispenser disc, and a plough member interposed between said dispenser disc and said crusher member.

3. A dispenser including a hollow body having a bottom member with an opening therein, a shaft rotatably mounted in said body and extending through the opening in the bottom member, a material receiving member fixed on said shaft below said bottom member, a crusher member fixed on said shaft above said receiving member, a plough member interposed between said crusher member and said receiving member, said plough member being loosely mounted on said shaft, and means extending from said bottom member in position to engage said plough member to prevent rotation thereof.

4. A dispenser including a hollow body having a bottom member with an opening therein, a shaft rotatably mounted in said body and extending through the opening in the bottom member, a dispenser disc fixed on said shaft below said bottom member, a crusher member fixed on said shaft above said dispenser disc and having its corner portion bent downwardly through the opening in the bottom member, a plough member loosely mounted on said shaft between said crusher member and said dispenser disc and resting thereon, and an ear extending from said bottom member for engaging said plough member for preventing it from rotating with said dispenser disc.

5. A dispenser including a hollow body having a tapering bottom portion with a central opening therein and having a false tapering bottom member with a central opening therein, a shaft rotatably mounted in said body and extending through the opening in said false bottom member, a dispenser disc fixed on said shaft below said false bottom member, a combined agitator and crusher member fixed on said shaft and having an arm provided with an upwardly inclined end portion for sweeping around the surface of the false bottom member, a plough arm loosely mounted on said shaft between said combined member and said dispenser disc, means extending from said false bottom member for preventing rotation of said plough arm, said combined member having an arm provided with a downwardly bent corner portion for cooperating with said plough arm for crushing material when said shaft is rotated, an inverted baffie cup fixed on said shaft below said dispenser disc, and an agitator arm fixed on said shaft between said baflie cup and said dispenser disc for sweeping around the surface of the tapering bottom portion of the hollow body.

6. A dispenser including a hollow body having a tapering bottom portion with a central opening therein and a tapering false bottom having a central opening therein, a shaft rotatably mounted in said body and extending through the opening in the false bottom, means for rotating said shaft, a dispenser disc fixed on said shaft below the false bottom, a combined agitator and crusher member fixed on said shaft above said dispenser disc and having an upwardly inclined portion at one end for sweeping around the coni cal surface of the false bottom and having a corner portion at its other end bent downwardly, a plough member loosely mounted on said shaft between the dispenser disc and the combined agitator and crusher member and adapted to cooperate with the bent corner portion of the combined member for crushing material, an inverted baiiie cup fixed on said shaft below the dispenser disc, and an agitator arm fixed on said shaft between said dispenser disc and said bafiie cup, said agitator arm having an upwardly inclined portion at one end for sweeping around a portion of the conical bottom surface of the hollow body and having its other end bent downwardly and inwardly for sweeping around such surface adjacent to the edge of the baffle cup.

7. A dispenser including a hollow body member and a cover therefor having bayonet slots for receiving pins extending from said body, a spring member mounted in said body and having a latching finger extending through an opening in the wall of said body, said cover having a recessed portion in its side for receiving said latching finger for preventing rotation of said cover, and said cover having a slot in its side adjacent to the end of its recessed portion, and the wall of said body having a slot therein which registers with the slot in the side flange of the cover for allowing insertion of a key to move said spring member inwardly to bring said latching finger out of its latching position.

8. A dispenser including a hollow body having a bottom member with an opening therein, a cross member in the upper portion of said body, a shaft extending through an opening in said cross member, nuts threaded on the upper end of said shaft above said cross member, means located below said cross member for keeping said shaft in vertical alinement, means for rotating said shaft, and a dispenser disc fixed on said shaft below the opening in the bottom member whereby tightening or loosening of the nuts at the top of the shaft will raise or lower the shaft to change the distance between said dispenser disc and said bottom member.

GEORGE H. PACKWOOD, JR. 

